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Show THE x" ry 77 fTf) TpFTO) WEDDING MARCH V I J K i iJ!'iJl ---'--.-,rb'Merrmco- By MONTE BARRETT CHAPTER XIII Continued 19 1 Rylle silenced her with a hand ross her lips. "Don't say any- lug about Westport," he cautioned V in a whisper. 'The byplay had not escaped Cardan's Car-dan's attention. "I'm glad you me, Miss Shipley," he said. "I is just trying to get Rylie to tell about his appointment to meet ;Vu at Westport the other after-ton." after-ton." He hesitated, waiting for an an- f-er, but the girl only faced him wently, her hand clutching Rylle's fi sperateiy. "You did have an appointment th him, didn't you?" prompted e novelist gently. ' '"Leave her out of this," cried the '.'y. "She had nothing to do with Leave her out, I tell you." Peter Ignored the command. "Ry-,V "Ry-,V seems to think It would Involve '.;iu In this unpleasant affair If he i'ld us about It, Miss Shipley," he i'ntjnued. "He Is making a mis-ike. mis-ike. If there Is a way for him to i'-plain his movements that after-tjnn, after-tjnn, he should do it, by all ;V eans." "Don't listen to him, Callis." The -mug man clutched her arm and ; ook It fiercely. "Don't tell him lytliiag." ;"Re quiet, you," growled Kilday. '."What Is It you want to know?" b i Ills asked Peter. V'The same day that I was at- oeked in Franklin's office," Peter plained, "Rylle Carmody gave the ilectlve that was following him e slip. Late that evening he had S wreck about ten miles from West-irt. West-irt. It Is Important that we know here he went and what he did, "I wasn't used to being treated like a common criminal," the boy interrupted in-terrupted harshly. "And so" this time Peter addressed ad-dressed the boy "you decided to give the detective the slip and meet Miss Shipley at Westport, so you wouldn't be followed to Martin's Cove. Is that It?" "Yes. We didn't think we'd have much chance of forgetting what happened hap-pened with a detective following us around," exclaimed Rylie defiantly. "That's the whole story. I took him out in the country and lost him. But I didn't take him toward Westport, because I didn't want him stumbling Into us again, after I met Callis. I opened up the car, after I passed the city limits. I knew he couldn't keep up In that taxieab. "After he had dropped out of sight, I zigzagged up and down a few side roads, and then headed for Westport to meet Callis when I had the accident. I didn't want to drag Callis into this. I didn't want some detective asking her personal ques tions. She had no more to do with the killing of Franklin than than I had." "What about Webster Spears?" This time Peter turned to the girl. "When you came to see me, I thought you were worried about him, too." "There was no way we could help Web by remaining here," Rylie answered an-swered for her. "I'm askiiig Miss Shipley." "Rylie Is right. We considered Web, but realized that remaining In the city wouldn't help him." Until they were dismissed, Rylie to be taken back to police headquarters head-quarters by a waiting officer, Callis tli i s way. That Isn't natural. They had something to conceal. What was It? Well," he smiled significantly, signifi-cantly, "Spears had a motive for the crime and he can't account for his time at the hour it was committed. com-mitted. "Then take Rylle Carmody. He admits trying to stop the wedding, after Spears told him about the actress. We know he quarreled with Franklin In the study. lie left, but we know he came back, because Cnllis Shipley rode home with him. Either the girl told him there had been a murder or he already al-ready knew It, apparently, when he returned to the church. If she told him, how did she know? If she didn't tell him, how did he know? Then he gives a detective the slip in time to search Franklin's apartment apart-ment and attack you In that otlice." He shrugged. "Oh, I know we don't have any proof of that yet. But he escaped in time to do it, and ha can't give a good reason for shaking shak-ing my detective the way he did. He turns up with an alibi full of holes, and tries to explain his battered bat-tered appearance by telling us he was In an automobile accident. Huh, I've got enough on both of these birds to send them to the chair, and one of them will talk before be-fore he takes the trip. The fear of that Is the best cure for a silent tongue I know." "But, Kilday" Peter began. "Oh, I know. You're going to hand me that theory that Spears couldn't have taken the dagger from the wall at least not while he was struggling with Franklin. Well, perhaps he couldn't, but maybe may-be he slipped in there and got the knife before Franklin saw him. lack definite proof, but there's only one person who could have done It. It was the same fellow who helped me along when I took that dive through the window the other night. "You see, Sergeant," he continued, contin-ued, "we have been hitting pretty close to the truth almost from the first. Ever since I've been lying here, I've been going over the evidence, evi-dence, trying to make It fit. I couldn't get away from that woman In blue who visited Franklin In Doctor Doc-tor Abernathy's study, just before the crime. The very fact that she was the only one of the visitors that we couldn't locate, In spite of all our efforts, made me doubly suspicious sus-picious of the part she played In the crime. Still, that was only supposition, sup-position, until the night Franklin's apartment was searched. The prowler prowl-er passed up a few Jewels of value while ransacking the place. It seemed obvious that he was no ordinary or-dinary thief and that his search had some connection with the crime. But we have been over that. I need only point out that our previous pre-vious search of those rooms made us reasonably certain that nothing had been found there. I felt sure, then, that the search would be extended ex-tended to the office. Whatever the murderer wanted, he wanted pretty badly. "That was a lucky hunch, although al-though It nearly proved the finish of me. And it proved another thing this was a hot trail. "The murderer had admitted himself him-self to Franklin's apartment with a key a key given him by, or taken from, the woman in blue or Choo Choo Train. We can discover dis-cover nothing against Choo Choo, 'tween the time the detective last f-.w him and the hour of that r:reck. The only explanation he )!is offered for his presence In that j?!ighborhood Is that he had an engagement en-gagement at Westport. But he per-S-stently refuses to tell us whom J expected to meet there. Was It Km?" e'. The girl glanced first at the nov-S"lst, nov-S"lst, then at Rylie Carmody. 'i "Don't say anything, Callis," the ,tter pleaded. "They'll just try km drag you into It." She hesitated a moment longer. SThere's nothing for us to conceal, : there, Rylie? I think I'd better ;j:ll them." Peter wondered if the girl were reparing to deceive him again. ?S "He was coming to meet me," she tld. a:: "What time did he get there?" f eter asked sharply. 5 : "He had an accident," declared i le girl. "He never got there." !; "Don't tell me that," Kilday ex-jt',alined ex-jt',alined truculently. "He met you eiere, all right. And you gave him trie key to Franklin's apartment." ei Rylle Carmody made a lunge at le detective. "What do you mean?" Maybe it was Rylie. ties taller. There are a lot of things that don't fit yet, and that may be one of them. But they'll all fit before I'm through." "That wasn't what I was going to say," Peter again Interrupted. "If either Rylle or Web Spears committed com-mitted this crime, the motive seems to be obvious. It was to keep Franklin from marrying Doris Carmody. Car-mody. And if that was the motive, why should either of them have visited Franklin's apartment or office? of-fice? I can't make that fit." "Not unless Callis Shipley is the woman In blue you've been talking about," Kilday persisted doggedly. "But she Isn't," exclaimed Peter. "I'm sure of that. Think back, Kilday. Kil-day. Our woman in blue went there to prevent the wedding. Dan Bullis heard part of her conversation conversa-tion with Franklin. She only consented con-sented to leave the church after Franklin promised her that his marriage mar-riage was going to make no difference differ-ence in their relationship. If Bullis told us the truth about that conversation, con-versation, and I see no reason why he shouldn't, then that woman Is heartbroken over the murder. Does so let's follow up the other lead. It the key came from the woman In blue, the motive for the crime was established, but I was still as far from identifying this woman as ever, apparently." Peter brushed his hand wearily across his eyes. His face showed the strain the events of the afternoon after-noon were Imposing upon his limited lim-ited strength. "Then there is the matter of the phone to Choo Choo Train, just before the wedding," he continued presently. "She thought it was Fletcher calling, by Franklin's order. or-der. We know that Franklin didn't tell Fletcher to make such a call, because Nick Royce tells us of the man's surprise when she appeared at the church. Fletcher denies he called. Then who did call?" "Webster Spears !" Kilday suggested. sug-gested. Peter shook his head. "I think not. Spears was interested in getting get-ting the Carmody family to stop the wedding. Besides, he has admitted ad-mitted his conversation with Rylle and his anonymous call to the elder Carmody. But he denies calling Choo Choo. What reason could he 1 "You Had No Right to Ask Her I That." possibly have for not telling the truth on that score, as well? "No, It wasn't Spears. The murderer mur-derer called Choo Choo. He did it because he knew her relationship with Franklin, of course, and hoped that her presence at the church would divert suspicion from himself. I believe that was the only reason she was called. Of course, this tells us very little. It does reveal that the man knew Franklin well enough to know his habits. But half of New York knew of his Infatuation for this actress. Nevertheless, this man was no casual acquaintance. He had either visited in Franklin's apartment, apart-ment, or talked to him by telephone, there." "How do you know that?" "He knew Fletcher's name and was familiar enough with his voice to initiate it when he talked to Choo Choo over the telephone," Peter Pe-ter explained. "A mere casual acquaintance ac-quaintance couldn't have done that. Besides that, we have another proof of the fact. When the murderer entered en-tered the rear door of Doctor Abernathy's Aber-nathy's Etudy, Franklin turned to meet him. He was not surprised to see his visitor. If he had been, It would have been only natural for him to have made some exclamation exclama-tion that would have attracted the attention of Nick Royce, standing only a few feet away. He didn't. Royce never knew when the murderer mur-derer entered. Franklin is bound to have considered his murderer one of his Intimate friends." Peter paused to light a fre?h cigarette cig-arette and inhaled of It, deeply, several sev-eral times, before com inning. (TO BE CONTINTKn.) e snarled. His face was white and i,rown with Impotent fury as the .'Dicer grasped his wrist. ' The young man struggled inef-!' inef-!' sctually. "You had no right to ask "er that. It's absurd. Callis scarce-' scarce-' knew Franklin." nv "Ryie Is right," declared the girl s'tavely. "I scarcely knew Mr. ""ranklin. I met him for the first "nie only a few weeks ago, at a ll'nrty given In honor of Doris." 1 1 "And you didn't have such a key?" d: "Never. I've never been to the 1-partment. I don't know where ret Is." at' "Miss Shipley," Teter took up the ar;uestlonIng, "suppose you tell us -hy you planned to meet tills young tbnan at Westport the other eve- ii.:i'ig?" el "There Is very little to tell. I was gjfolng to meet him there at nine rf 'clock. But on account of the accident, ac-cident, of course, he couldn't get iere." ( "Why didn't he meet you at your ' ome? Why Westport?" '.. Callis frowned. -He had another w;i.ipointment," she replied hesi-mtly. hesi-mtly. "He knew it was going to ;.ike him some time, and we thought 1 'e'd save time by meeting there." "He didn't tell you what this kn'thor appointment was, did he?" teter pursued the point, and when gli-le did not answer promptly he re-i- eatod the question. e': Still she hesitated. -"Perhaps," the novelist suggested, Striven would reel more tree in telling di'S 'hy you planned to go to Mar D1fin's Cove?" s i' This time the girl answered . romptly. "Vo wanted to get away 5r a few days, where we'd have a Quince to forget about the murder." a "Perhaps the fact that Uylie was Aeing followed by a detective had Unmethlng to do with your decision," V-lhla.v put In. , "Wd you know that he was be- ? T followed?" Peter asked In a lu;llier tone. ;. "We couldn't help knowing it," re- Jlled the girl. "The man followed im everywhere he went." "That was his job," the novelist Manned. "But of course you both omu that rather irksome, didu't lj !.'"- to return to her home, the young couple stoutly maintained their story. No amount of questioning by Kilday could shake it. "Just the same," growled the sergeant ser-geant after they were gone, "I know I've got the murderer under arrest. It's either Webster Spears or Rylie Carmody. First I thought it was Spears and that Carmody and the girl were trying to help him. Then I thought it was Carmody and the other two were trying to help him. Now I don't know which It was, except ex-cept that one of the two Is guilty." "And you think Callis Shipley knows?" Peter asked. "Of course." "Well, I don't." Peter spoke with conviction. "Ever since my interview inter-view with her the other afternoon I have been convinced that, personally, person-ally, she Is Innocent, although Carmody Car-mody and Spears may be guilty. But if they are, she doesn't know It." Kilday did not share this conviction. convic-tion. He reviewed the evidence against each. "Spears was in love with Doris Carmody and was moving mov-ing heaven and earth to keep her from marrying .Jim Franklin. We know he told Rylie about Choo Choo Train, hoping that he would stop the wedding. Some one telephoned tele-phoned Ambrose Carmody telling him about the actress. First Spears denied that. Now he admits making the call. Some one telephoned tele-phoned choo Choo and told her to he at the church. Spears still denies de-nies ho did that, hut I don't know whether to believe him or not. "lie U-ft the church, .lust before the murder, Inquiring about Kylie Carmody and declaring that if he were there, there wouldn't be any wedding. Later he denied mufeins that remark but we've since been aide to prove that he did. That night Callis Shipley visited Spears' home, l'.otli she and Spears denied that visit, at first. Now they both admit it. The girl told us what Spears said when he left the church. Then she denied it. Now she admits it." The detective was restlessly pacing pac-ing the lloor as he summed up the case. "You can't tell me innocent people were trying to deceive us Callis Shipley act or look like a woman who is grieving over Franklin's Frank-lin's death? Not to me, she doesn't. Her one thought, throughout the whole affair, has been for Rylie Carmody. No, she is not the woman wom-an In blue. And if she Isn't, then I say Rylle had no reason for visiting visit-ing that apartment. I have another anoth-er reason for being convinced that he Isn't the man with whom I struggled strug-gled In the apartment. A few minutes ago, the boy lunged at you, here, In a rage over a question asked of Miss Shipley. You caught him by the wrists and held him, easily. I am sure you couldn't have done that with the man I ran up against the other night. That fellow fel-low was far more powerful. Whatever What-ever doubt lingered In my mind about Carniody's Innocence was dispelled then. He Is innocent. I'm as sure of It as I am of this broken leg of mine, and It's paining me a lot." "If we accept this theory of yours It looks as though we're farther from a solution than ever," complained com-plained Kilday. He drew moodily on his stogy. "You've made a good point," he admitted, "but If we follow fol-low your lead we're right hack where we started. I haven't even got a good guess left. Webster Spears was under arrest the night of your fight In the apartment. If that litis a place in the crime, then it couldn't have been him." "It has a place," declared Teter with conviction. "The man I fought was the murderer. I'm convinced con-vinced of that." lie glanced at Kilday, a whimsical whim-sical smile playing about his lean lips. ' Have you ever had to lie in bod for throe consecutive days?" he inquired. "Trv it some time, when you have a particularly knotty j problem to solve. I recommend it. j Yon can do a lot of thii.kiag." Tin' doieetivc was not misled by ! the apparent inoonseq;:enoe of the novelist's remark. He leaned eagerly eager-ly forward. "i!ae you doped something out?" he demanded. j "I think I have." I "You mean you know uhu killed Franklin !" ; 'Terlmes" declan-.l Peter. "Yon might rail it. a guess, because I still |